Pune student first swine flu victim in Assam

A 21-year-old student from Pune on Saturday became the first swine flu victim in Assam, even as health authorities cautioned against panic and urged the people to follow the guidelines to fight the disease.

A 21-year-old student from Pune on Saturday became the first swine flu victim in Assam, even as health authorities cautioned against panic and urged the people to follow the guidelines to fight the disease.

A health department spokesperson said the student, studying at a college in Pune, was admitted to the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury (MMC) hospital in Assam's main city of Guwahati on Thursday with swine flu-like symptoms.

The student, hailing from Harayana, was in Guwahati to see his sister.

"The student is in the isolation ward and has been put on medication. We have, in the meantime, conducted tests and quarantined all the family members with whom the student was in contact just before he was admitted to hospital," said HK Das, a doctor at the MMC hospital.

"There is no need for panic although people should follow the guidelines and report any swine flu-like symptoms to the nearest hospital, besides taking precautions against the virus," Sarma said.

There are at least four more people, including a child, at the MMC hospital with swine flu-like symptoms.